Andrew Tsoodle
(PCSD file photo)
By Patti Weaver
(Stillwater, Okla.) — A 57-year-old Cushing man pleaded guilty Tuesday to neglecting the care of his 83-year-old mother, who was found dead at her residence in the 900 block of N. Cleveland Ave. in Cushing on Feb. 4, 2023.
As part of a plea agreement with the prosecution approved in court Tuesday by Payne County Associate District Judge Michael Kulling, Andrew Elba Tsoodle was given a 90-day jail term followed by nine years and nine months of probation with an order to have a mental health evaluation and follow its recommendations.
Tsoodle had been accused of engaging in verbal abuse, failing to cooperate with investigations initiated by Adult Protective Services and the Sac and Fox Nation into his mother’s welfare, isolating her from other family members, leaving her unattended for unreasonable amounts of time and failing to insure that she had adequate medical attention between June 1, 2021, and Feb. 4, 2023, but specifically on the latter date when she was determined to be deceased with recent injuries and in an emaciated, decomposing state.
On Feb. 4, 2023, at 5:47 pm, Cushing Deputy Police Chief Nick Myers had requested assistance from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation regarding the unattended death of Corrine L. Tsoodle, who weighed 84 pounds and had hair missing from her scalp, court records show.
Her son, Andrew Tsoodle, who lived with her, said he had spoken to his mother about an hour before he found her dead, but when Emergency Medical Services personnel arrived on scene, they believed she had been deceased for several days, OSBI Agent George Belding wrote in an affidavit.
On July 10, 2023, OSBI received a copy of the state Medical Examiner’s report regarding her condition, which included blunt force injuries such as multiple contusions on her face, neck, torso and extremities, and malnutrition, the affidavit said. The cause of the blunt force injuries “was unclear and may be explained by a recent fall; however, other causes such as assault could not be ruled out,” the affidavit alleged.
“A review of Adult Protective Services report disclosed that on June 25, 2021, Corrine contacted the Sac and Fox Nation office, via phone, concerning the land she had gifted to (another relative). Andrew could be heard yelling at Corrine what to say in the background. Andrew kept yelling until Corrine repeated what he said.
“Andrew then grabbed the phone and started yelling at Sac and Fox Nation staff. The staff indicated this was not the first time they had heard about Andrew’s verbal abuse towards Corrine. In December 2020, Corrine contacted Sac and Fox Nation and left a message that she couldn’t handle it anymore and wanted to escape Andrew.
“Sac and Fox Nation had multiple concerns for Corrine; however, she declined to cooperate, so no action was taken against Andrew,” the affidavit alleged.
“Andrew could not explain why Corrine was so emaciated on the evening of Feb. 4, 2023, when he claimed she was healthy, eating three meals daily and was active. Andrew could not explain the initial observations of EMTs that Corrine was in decomposition when they arrived at the house.
“Andrew insisted that Corrine was alive and well a few hours earlier. Andrew never mentioned the laceration on Corrine’s face on the morning of Feb. 4, 2023, when she injured herself inside the bathtub. Andrew could not explain the inconsistencies in statements he had made to the neighbors, police and family members regarding what occurred on Feb. 3 and 4, 2023. Andrew indicated that other people were lying or not telling the truth,” the affidavit alleged.
According to Payne County court records and the state Department of Corrections, Andrew Tsoodle had been placed on 10 years’ probation for actual physical control of a vehicle while under the influence on Dec. 8, 2010, when his probation of two earlier separate charges of drunk driving in 2007 was revoked to two concurrent five-year prison terms of which he served about three and one-half years.
